The obverse legend is the shortened legend that was occasionally used in Antioch. However, the style of the portrait and lettering is very "Roman." The obverse legend is enough, though, to attribute this coin to Antioch. Also, the wedge-shaped dash between the words on the reverse legend never happens at Rome.1 commentsCallimachus07/23/18 at 09:32Michael K5: This is a beautiful coin. I would attribute it to ...

The workmen can be excused for mixing up the dies, for in 201-202 exactly the same PART MAX Trophy type was being struck for both emperors, distinguished only by their titles in the continuation of the rev. legend, so easy to confuse:

Another is reported by Cohen 174 (10 francs) from the Turin collection; and there were two more in the Reka Devnia hoard.5 commentsNemonater12/26/15 at 16:19Michael K5: Fascinating mule gives insight into the humanity o...

This is the rare, initial, SACERD DEI SOLIS ELAGABAL type, with the emperor sacrificing left not right, and with the star erroneously behind him rather than before him. The star apparently stood for his sun god, to whom the emperor was depicted sacrificing, and therefore it should have been placed before him, above his patera and the altar.

We know that the star behind the emperor was wrong, because on quite a few dies of all four emperor-sacrificing types the star was eradicated from behind the emperor and re-engraved in front of him. Note that on the obverse Elagabalus is still unbearded, confirming the early date (c. summer 221).

The normal type, emperor sacrificing right, star before him, was represented by 181 specimens in the Reka Devnia hoard, compared to 3 specimens for this early variety. (Thanks to CClay for these details.)

At the age of fourteen, Elagabalus became high priest of the sun-god Elagabalus at Emesa in Syria. The cult was represented by a sacred stone, and in AD 219 when he moved from Emesa to Rome, he took the stone, probably a meteorite, with him. During his reign, Elagabalus devoted his efforts to the promotion of his cult god, building a lavish temple to house the stone. The reverse type and legend promote his position as high priest of the sun-god Elagabalus.5 commentsNemonater08/25/15 at 17:24Michael K5: Intriguing type with star behind, but also a wonde...

Rev: In the center, within a circle is a village scene including children playing baseball in front of a school and a church steeple; in the foreground an Indian, wearing full chief's feathered head-dress, operates a horse-drawn plough; in the outer ring, an Indian pulls the hair of a foe, preparing to scalp him with a knife; below and to the left is a quiver of arrows, on the right is a crossed bow and a peace pipe; below center is the head of an Indian princess with eyes closed.

This type may have been issued as a part of a series to commemorate the opening of the Flavian Amphitheater, or Colosseum which was begun under Vespasian and financed, at least in part, by the treasure plundered from the Jewish Temple during the sack of Jerusalem.8 commentsLucas H02/11/13 at 15:18Michael K5: I love the reverse. Great portrait with a lot of c...

Agrippina maior, grand daughter of Augustus, daughter of Agrippa, wife of Germanicus, mother of Gaius ("Caligula"), 14 BC- 33 AD216 viewsOrichalcum sestertius (26.9g, 36mm, 6h). Rome mint. Struck under Gaius, AD 37.
AGRIPPINA·M·F·MAT·C·CAESARIS·AVGVSTI, draped bust right
S·P·Q·R· in field above, MEMORIAE / AGRIPPINAE in two lines
Carpentum drawn by two mules moving left. The Carpentum's cover is supported by standing figures at the corners and its sides are ornamented.
Gaius had the ashes of his mother returned to Rome soon after he came to power in 37 AD. He celebrated the memory of his mother, father and brothers, all murdered by Tiberius, with a series of coins. The sestertius issue was reserved for the memory of his mother. Note the lack of S C on this issue which has S P Q R instead.
RIC 55; Cohen 12 commentsCharles S01/28/13 at 00:42Michael K5: Beautiful, interesting type and style.

FORTUNA REDUX.213 viewsAE sestertius. Rome, 211 AD. 28.05 gr. Laureate head right. P SEPTIMIVS GETA PIVS AVG BRIT. / Fortuna seated left on throne, holding rudder on globe and cornucopiae, wheel under seat. FORT RED TR P III COS II P P S C. BMCRE 40. RIC 168a.
Fortuna is the Roman Goddess of Luck, Fate, and Fortune. Usually depicted holding in one hand a cornucopia, or a horn of plenty, from which all good things flowed in abundance, representing her ability to bestow prosperity; in the other she generally has a ship's rudder, to indicate that She is the one who controls how lives and fates are steered. She could also be shown enthroned, with the same attributes of rudder and cornucopia, but with a small wheel built into the chair, representing the cycles of fate and the ups and downs of fortune.
Fortuna Redux, one of the many aspects of Fortuna, was in charge of bringing people home safely, primarily from wars—redux means "coming back" or "returning". She may be one of the later aspects of Fortuna, as the earliest mention of Her is of an altar dedicated by the Senate in 19 BCE for the safe return of the Emperor Augustus3 commentsbenito11/02/12 at 14:08Michael K5: All around beautiful coin.

Notes: Second special issue of the joint reign of Severus, Caracalla, and Geta commemorating victories in Britain. Scarce; fewer than thirty specimens in the hoards studied by P.V. Hill (thirteen in Reka Devnia [nine in Sofia, the four Caracalla VICTORIAE BRIT denarii in Varna seem to have the wrong Cohen numbers]).